Dario Cologna of Switzerland outlasted the field in the grueling cross-country skiing 15-kilometer classical to win his second gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

The time-based event features the competitors starting in 30-second intervals, but Cologna was able to beat his competition with a time of 38 minutes and 29.7 seconds, which was 28.5 seconds better than second place.

Another person who should be proud of his effort is Erik Bjornsen, who finished in 38th place. The 22-year-old skier did not have the best time among Americans (Noah Hoffman finished in 31st), but he remains a top competitor for the future, according to his coach. Erik Flora told Kevin Tresolini of USA Today (h/t King5.com):

When we talked about his goals for this season, the Olympics was kind of a bonus. Kind of what it gives him is a chance to come here and see what the Games are all about and then come back in four years and take a step forward. His goal here is just gaining experience. Today, in that light, was fantastic.

It is sometimes hard for fans to look that far into the future, but Bjornsen has the potential to medal at the Olympics at some point in his future.

Until then, it is clear that Cologna is not going away any time soon after defending his Olympic title from four years ago. This is quite impressive for someone who required surgery for a torn ankle ligament in November, according to the Associated Press (via NBCOlympics.com).

At the time, the Swiss star explained, "this injury hurts not only physically but also mentally."

Fortunately, Cologna was able to recover in both aspects and take home yet another gold medal for his country.

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